Under the Veil
by SlowQuotesQuill
Summary: Magical!AU. Oreki Houtarou, the brother of a rare treasure hunter, lived in the Imperial civil war era, where magic was almost dead and no one can leave their towns safely anymore. But then he stumbles on the rarest treasure—the Living Tree, a girl named Eru who possessed a strange power that might change his way of life as he had known it. Ore/Chi, Fuku/Iba.


**Under the Veil**

* * *

_We spent the same time together, right here  
__The true treasure is how we met here by coincidence, isn't it?  
__I've got to see you, got to see you right now  
__When you touch me, something's bound to change  
__I'm sure of it_

—**Aozora no Kodou**, ChouCho

* * *

_Part I_

* * *

His cautious steps echoed all around the walls of the wide, dark cave.

Sixteen-year-old Oreki Houtarou slowly proceeded through the path warily, the lantern held high, swinging from his grasp. The light flickered as it hit the stone, painting weird shapes on the walls and floor. He had no idea where he was going anymore—all the sense of direction that he had possessed had fled the moment he momentarily lagged behind his sister and got separated at the fork, and the fact that he was seeing things in the faint illumination of his lantern didn't help much. The striking of his boots on the stone floor was the only sound that greeted his ears so far, but he couldn't be sure if some animal was just lurking around the next turn that he will take.

His sister was a rare treasure merchant, traveling all around the world in pursuit of every strange object that could possibly exist. This time, they were in search of the Living Tree, a sculpture that was said to be so lifelike, it seemed to breathe. Of course, its exorbitant price among collectors was one of the reasons that prompted Oreki Tomoe to go for the adventure, but Houtarou knew that his sister's prime objective was just the danger and thrill of the journey itself.

He couldn't understand what motivated his sister to be like that, the need to be constantly on the move dictating her career and even his, the younger brother's, life. He couldn't stand long trips, couldn't endure walks on steep surfaces or climbs when it was also required. Houtarou had always pictured himself as the passive type, so it was quite the mystery to him when he allowed himself to get dragged along on journeys like this. Perhaps it was because the innate fear of his sister's violent side was acting upon his subconscious, he thought suddenly, getting rather depressed.

A noise echoed all along the corridor where he was proceeding through now. He fingered the knife buckled at his hip with light fingers, green eyes flickering to life at the first disturbance.

"Aneki?" he called uncertainly, moving forward one slow step at a time. His cloak whispered to him as the slight breeze suddenly made itself known, rushing past him. Thinking that the exit might be up ahead, Houtarou quickened his steps, his hand still on the weapon as he proceeded.

The strange green light that greeted his eyes was not what he had expected, but curiosity and fatigue overcoming his reluctance, he pushed forward, the sense of mystery inside him growing when he finally stepped into the large, lighted room that held, he knew instinctively, the treasure that they had been searching for.

The statue was that of a girl, her pale skin illuminated with the moonlight streaming down through the holes in the ceiling. Her loose white dress hung from her slender frame, while her eyes were asleep as if in a deep slumber. Houtarou suddenly found himself wondering what she would look like with her eyes finally opened and smacked himself mentally, remembering that the girl in front of her was a sculpture.

A sculpture… of the strangest kind.

There were only two things out of place in the whole scene, two things that reminded the spectator of this beautiful work of art that it was intended to be a work of art in the first place.

First was the statue's long, long, _long_ hair.

It was so long that it streamed to the floor and curled all around the walls and even to the ceiling for more room, making Houtarou feel as if he had just stumbled in a forest of glittering silk threads. Some looped in great curves from above because of their sheer weight, the twist and tangle of her mane around the room so artfully done that Houtarou suspected that the room was also part of the allure of the sculpture. The holes in the ceiling certainly were placed in such a way as to render the light in a mystical effect.

The artist might have intended this location, he mused. Is it really all right to take it away from here? And… these…

That took his attention to the second strange thing that he had noticed about the statue.

Green flowers, large ones at that, adorned her hair everywhere, seemingly growing naturally as extensions of her. Houtarou again assured himself that she was not a living, breathing person, but then, the flowers looked so alive—

That was when he felt something slither around his ankle.

"Gyaah!"

Houtarou was shocked, to say the least, when he peered at his boot and found what was gripping him so. Although perhaps to say that he felt like fainting now was more accurate.

_This…! _

Certainly, this was escalating in a way that he had least expected.

Locks of hair were slowly creeping their way up his leg. Actually, he could feel the grip around his torso as well and around his head, a strand even curling down to touch his nose. Another green flower even budded on it and grew right before his eyes as he watched.

_What is this—!_

"…!" He was yanked forward, actually lifting off almost two feet from the ground, his restraints pulling him irresistibly toward the girl in the center of the room. Houtarou couldn't decide whether this was turning into a horror scene, but trusting that this wasn't one of those things, he just let himself be carried by the tide, and eventually he slowed down to stop with his nose just a few inches from the statue's.

_A dream a dream all a dream this is a dr—_

Her eyes cracked open. Slowly, slowly, slivers of purple was revealed as she stopped the progress early, leaving her to gaze at the floor with a peaceful, sleepy look.

"This can't be—"

_It just happened, you slowpoke. _

"Huh…?"—a soft, feminine murmur.

And her eyelids slid fully to reveal her big, big violet eyes. Houtarou had never seen eyes lovelier than hers before—never seen eyes as alive as hers.

_Ironic. _

The sculpture—or should he really consider her as a girl now?—yawned lightly and gazed at him, a confused look spreading on her face. "Who… are you…?"

"Oreki Houtarou," the boy replied in a voice barely above a whisper to match the girl's soft tone. The melodic timbre of her voice was pleasant to his ears after the silence of the cave earlier. "I've come for you."

"You…" She tilted her head. And then, she smiled. "My name is… Eru."

"E…ru." He repeated the name—it even sounded like a musical note to him. "Eru."

"Yes."

She smiled wider.

"And you're my Key from now on."

_What… was… that?_

* * *

The era was a dangerous one, a time when only merchants can roam freely between cities and still expect to get attacked in between stops for their valuable goods. Thus did the era stand while the Oreki siblings sat in the midst of their temporary camp a distance from the cave of the Living Tree, the girl that Houtarou brought out from her confinement in the cave sitting with them and nibbling at the food that Tomoe had provided her. Houtarou could enumerate the many things that were wrong with this cozy picture, but decided to hold his tongue.

"Eh~ So instead of the Living Tree, Houtarou gets a beautiful girl? How lucky for my brother~"

_How can my sister be so… dense… _

_That, aneki, is the Living Tree herself staring at you with such innocent eyes. _

"I…" Eru smiled gently and bowed her head in embarrassment, her long hair plaited to resemble a dark rope. Tomoe's clothes fit Eru's quite well, Houtarou noted with a secretive, appreciative glance.

"Aneki, weren't you listening to what I was saying earlier?" Houtarou grumbled, his chin resting on his palm as he frowned. "She's—"

Tomoe, however, sent him a wink that immediately sealed the next words from his mouth.

_She knew more than she let on. But why hesitate to tell Eru that she knew? I don't think she would mind… _

"—never mind." Houtarou rumpled his hair with a wrinkled brow as Tomoe snickered. "What I can't fathom is how you could have managed to bring down rocks falling at your head."

"It was just by mischance!" Tomoe grumbled, feeling the bandages that Houtarou had fixed around her head. "That cave was so old… A slight disturbance could trigger something at any time."

"Huh."

"Oh well, we'll be leaving any time now from this place. Sadly, the Living Tree will remain as it had been centuries ago… a _legend_." Tomoe smiled knowingly, stood up and stretched, her numerous trinkets tinkling. "_Hou_~tarou, pack up. I'll see if I can find some more food to take on our way back."

"Okay, okay." Houtarou watched her go away, and when the sound of footsteps dwindled in the distance, he immediately rounded on Eru, eyes narrowed.

"Um… what is it?" The girl raised her eyes at him, and Houtarou faltered.

"I—" Houtarou took a deep breath and shot the question that was bugging him. "What did you mean when you said that I was your… 'Key'… stuff?"

"Exactly what it means," Eru said with a confused look. "Have you never heard of the Veiled Sculptor?"

"He was the one who… _created_ you, right?" Houtarou said hesitantly.

"Hehe~" _She looked so adorable, smiling like that…_ Houtarou then shook himself mentally. _What's with me…_

"Yes." She nodded lightly. "And when he completed me, he told me that he will lock me up in the cave until the right person comes along to free me. That person will be my Key."

"So, what…"

"I'm the Living Tree," she said simply. "What do you know about my legend, Oreki-san?"

"Only that you were a lifelike statue lost in that cave, and that you're worth more than a million in auction…"

Eru laughed at the last bit. "Well, actually, that legend has another side to it. And that is partly why some collectors would gladly pay any price to get me, I guess."

_Hmm, really? _

"The Living Tree is, simply put, a weapon."

_Huh?_

"Huh?" Houtarou accidentally vocalized his surprise.

"And as the designated Key, you'll be, simply put, my wielder."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Houtarou stood up and palmed his face, peering through the gaps between his fingers at the extraordinary girl sitting before him. "What… what are you talking about? Don't kid around with me!"

"Eh?" Eru smiled tentatively. "This is the real thing!"

Houtarou's mental groan never left his mouth, which might be a good thing.

* * *

"Oh~ Houtarou, why look so depressed?" Tomoe looked at her brother, whose black horse was plodding alongside her spirited brown one. Their goods were in the small cart that Tomoe's horse was pulling along.

Houtarou managed a sarcastic smile.

"You must be mistaken, this is my normal face."

Tomoe smirked. "Ehe~ I see. Houtarou must be flustered because a girl other than his adorable onee-sama is riding with him, and is thus showing such a tired face for thinking too much~"

"What's with that logic…" Houtarou sighed and simply gave up, his brain unable to come up with a comeback that would finish the battle in one blow. Tomoe, seeing that he wasn't fighting back anymore, grinned and rode along, giving the girl who was seated between Houtarou's arms a sly wink.

Eru blushed slightly, bowing her head as though afraid that she might be obstructing Houtarou's line of sight. "Oreki-san, am I being troublesome?"

"N-no. Not really," Houtarou mumbled, his hand needlessly tight on the reins ever since he saw that Eru's pale fingers were so close. He could smell the girl's slight fragrance, the flowers on her hair softly nudging him back whenever he sat forward too closely. "Sit up straight, you might fall."

"R-right," Eru meekly said, and acquiesced, her back straightening to rest against Houtarou's chest. Shocked at the sudden contact, Houtarou followed his own advice and sat up himself, his slouch disappearing in favor of getting some distance away from Eru's warmth.

The sky was cloudy, the road they were travelling flat and straight. Houtarou was thankful for the weather at least—it was hard going when the sun was high in the sky.

"Hm? There're some guys standing in the distance, Houtarou." His sister's voice was tense, stripped of their usual singsong tone. Houtarou could only peg them as somebodies who were up to no good.

"I see them, aneki." Houtarou scowled. "Tch. Every road has its share of hardships, eh?"

"How can a guy like you come up with such cool words, Hou~tarou?" Tomoe snickered. "Onee-sama is impressed~"

"This isn't exactly the time for that, aneki." Houtarou flinched when Eru's hand instinctively placed itself on his. "Ah?"

"Are they bad guys, Oreki-san?" Eru seemed curious, rather than frightened.

"The worst." Houtarou sighed. "Don't worry. Aneki and I can handle this by ourselves. Just stay out of it. You're worth more than all of our merchandise put together, and that's saying something."

"Eh, but…" Eru suddenly looked anxious. "You could use me, if you like. You're my Key, after all."

"This talk of Keys is really disturbing me for some reason," Houtarou said crossly. "Could you just clam up about that first? We're in a situation here." His green eyes flashed darkly, reminding one of a silent panther. "And what I have to do, I do quickly."

Eru's eyes faintly registered disappointment. "All right."

They drew nearer to the group that hindered their progress, and Houtarou could then see how dangerous these men looked compared to the bandits that they usually encountered on the road.

_Looks like this won't be an easy one. _

"Ready to engage, Houtarou?"

"This is not some kind of game."

"Ehehe~ I know that much. Just guard Eru-chan and our livelihood with all your energy!" Tomoe flashed Houtarou a confident grin. "Leave the main offense to onee-sama, and cover my back if needed!"

Looking almost bored, Houtarou replied, "Like always."

And saying thus, they stopped some feet from the line of men barring their path, the black ragged cloaks fluttering in the wind and reminding Houtarou irresistibly of how clichéd this scene might have looked to a casual observer.

They all dismounted, Houtarou helping Eru down the horse and setting her behind him. The bandits also did the same, every one of them leering when they saw that their sorry group consisted of a woman, her little brother, and a girl. The bundle of rare items rested in the cart, and it was there where they fixed their stares.

"Looking down on women and children, what a joke." As Houtarou was about to ask what Tomoe meant by "women _and children_," his sister had already stalked off brazenly, and Houtarou had no choice but to grab the cart and Eru and wait if she needed his help.

"Give us your merchandise if you want to pass by safely," the leader, a man with a fierce-looking mustache, announced loudly. Tomoe didn't even bat an eyelash.

"Shut up," Tomoe stretched out her hands. "I won't even need weapons to beat up such weak guys like you."

Houtarou told Eru, "Now you'll find out how fearsome my sister can be when crossed. Especially when her beloved treasures are at stake."

"…Ah?" Eru watched interestedly, her wide violet eyes at their fullest extent.

The match-up really seemed to be somewhat of a farce, a barehanded woman slightly shorter than Houtarou coming up to face a group of huge men with fearsome expressions and weapons. Readying the hunting rifle by his side, Houtarou waited.

Tomoe easily brought down two of them, her fragile frame misleading and quick as she knocked them out one by one. However, Houtarou could see that her reflexes were slower than usual today ("tch, her head wound must have affected her that much, the idiot!"), and even if he wouldn't have minded if it was an ordinary day, a mistake could cost them their lives against enemies of this caliber. With a firm hand, Houtarou raised his rifle and aimed.

"Tch, this rifle's sights are faulty!" Houtarou grumbled when he missed and grazed the man he was aiming for instead of hitting him squarely in the shoulder. "It has been so long since I had to use this—"

"Oreki-san, Tomoe-san's in dan—!"

"I know!" Houtarou gritted his teeth and looked at Eru, the pieces clicking in place. "Didn't you say that you can do something about it?"

Eru nodded eagerly. "Yes. Place your hand above my heart!"

His sense of danger overriding his embarrassment, Houtarou did as he was asked.

[Are you the Key?]

Yes, he replied.

[Indeed.

[What wish will you have of me?]

Save my sister… save her!

[That is the will.

[Release!]

It all happened in an instant, and Houtarou only heard Eru's cry as he wrenched his hand back and stepped away, his eyes wide at the light that the girl before her emitted. _Was that…?_

As the thorny vines emerged from Eru's heart to slither along the ground like ropes, Houtarou's own froze in awe.

_This… This is…!_

[The true form of the soul that my creator has bestowed on me.]

"Tomoe-san!" Eru's vines flew at the attackers just as the leader of the bandits already wrenching Oreki Tomoe up by her hair. Houtarou, seeing this, snapped, automatically reaching for the gun that he had abandoned.

"Tch! Don't. Touch. My. Sisteeeeer!"

Houtarou focused the rifle so that it was a bit off, and fired. The man dropped like a stone, shot through the heart, letting Tomoe fall to the ground like a doll. Meanwhile, Eru was finishing the small fries off as though they were blades of grass against a thousand scythes, the Living Tree forsaking her peaceful nature to fulfill the will of her Key. Houtarou ran to his sister, the screams of dying men filling his ears—

Silence reigned suddenly when the last bandit fell. Looking back, Houtarou watched as though in slow motion as the Living Tree collapsed from the shock of her first battle after centuries of being passive.

"Eru!"

* * *

"Sorry, Mayaka~"

"Sorry wouldn't cut it this time, Fuku-chan! Argh! Always making me sooo mad!"

"Ow! Ow—" Under the barrage of blows, the spiky-haired boy peered through his raised arms. "Mayaka… come on, this isn't the time to fight against each other!"

"It's as good a time as any!" the girl, her hair cut in a modest bob, growled.

"But we're surrounded by enemies!"

Indeed, all around them were soldiers, wearing the uniform of the Imperial Army. The girl pouted and put down her hands.

"Hmph, what a minor concern. But you're right, this isn't the time to beat you into a pulp for being so insensitive.

"…I'll just take care of these annoying guys before killing you so that there would be no distractions!"

"EH?!" The boy sighed and shrugged. "Having such skewed priorities, who's being insensitive…"

Then he smirked.

"Ah~ah~ then so be it. Mayaka, let's beat the crap out of these guys!"

"Thieving brats!" one of the soldiers surrounding them yelled, and the charge tore up a whirlwind as everyone attacked the two teenagers at the same time with swords drawn. However—

[Release!]

"One two three four five down!" The group of men dissipated as the girl Mayaka drew, notched, and loosed bright, fiery arrows in quick succession, making every target drop down like flies. "Six seven eight nine ten—"

"Mayaka, behind!"

"Idiot, cover me!"

"On it!" The boy Fukube Satoshi threw her a joking grin as he knocked Mayaka's assailant down with a long iron bar. "Haha, I was intending to attack him really even without you asking~"

"Don't joke around at such a time! Idiot!" And with a sweep, Mayaka felled her last enemy and turned to smack Satoshi, eyes narrowed and fist raised, the blazing bow evaporating into the air as quickly as it had appeared.

"M-Mayaka—"

"Now _what was that about saying that my cooking isn't very good_?"

"Gwaaaaaaaah!"

The final words of the boy reached the heavens in the form of a scream—

"_Wait._"

The pressure around Mayaka's fist whistled when she suddenly stopped herself a centimeter away from sending Satoshi to an untimely death. Blinking, Satoshi cried out when Mayaka let him go, landing on his butt ungracefully as she looked around.

"What happened, Mayaka?"

"This aura…" She finally pinpointed the source, and swiveled so that she could face to the direction where she felt the energy emanate from. "Ou~ So the Living Tree has finally found her Key…"

"Mayaka?" Satoshi struggled to his feet, puzzled.

"Be thankful, Fuku-chan," Mayaka said with a slow smile spreading over her features. "I'll let you live this time around… and encounter another Key like yourself while we're at it."

* * *

Part I END

* * *

**AUTHOR'S CORNER**

* * *

What the hell is with this concept...

Must have read too much light novels... o^o


End file.
